The Dinner Hour

I entered my parlour this afternoon, after being out in the cold on errands. We had bags and papers and things everywhere. It was time to prepare (mentally and literally) for the dinner hour.

I turned on a sermon tape, on my kitchen radio, of A. W. Tozer, "The Plague of the Heart," and  worked in my home, while being nourished and strengthened by godly wisdom.

Soon the dishes, from the day, were soaking. The counters looked neat. The table was cleared and shining.  The chairs were in order and the floor was picked up.  Home looked lovely.

I will light a candle before the sun sets. I will get the Bibles ready to prepare for evening worship, after dinner.  There will be no watching of television, or computer time, or listening to secular news or music.  It will be a sacred time of our family gathering together at our family table.   It will be the dinner hour.

To make the dinner hour successful takes labor, and vision, and an eagerness to enjoy home.  It takes a pushing aside of all worldly thoughts and worries and activities. It is time to calm the heart and to soothe the soul.  It is time to make family and loveliness and charm and the beauty of home a sacred obligation.

We will pray and eat and enjoy fellowship at the family table.  It will be a precious time because Mama made it happen.

Blessings
Mrs. White 

From the Archives -

A Precious Gift - A Wife Who Does Not Complain.

What Life is Like With Little Money - Living Without Credit Cards.

Take Time to Read - The Old Vintage Hymn Book.


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A Paper Plate Society

Years ago, in home economics class, we students learned how to set a pleasant table. We were told that dining together as a family was an experience. We felt that it was an essential part of family values.  The table didn't have to be fancy, but the basic elements were there:

Plates, silverware, a napkin at each place, cups, and serving bowls in the center.

I've noticed that families are using paper plates on a regular basis. Here is the problem:

- They tend to make people eat more. Why? Because we eat quickly. Paper plates are for fast and easy meals.  

When we sit together and dine at the table, the meal goes slower. We visit with one another, smile  and enjoy the food. We tend to eat less.  The experience is savored and enjoyed.

Our society loves paper plates because no one wants to clean. The plates are a modern substitute, creating a fast food environment.  Something is wrong when we are too busy to sit down together as a family to enjoy the blessing of food.

Are paper plates wrong? Certainly not. But they should be reserved for emergencies, when someone is ill, occasional dining, or for picnics.  Paper plates should be the rare exception, not the common rule.

What if you have a busy schedule and cannot find time to sit together? Does that mean you have to use paper plates? (gentle smiles) How about setting the table, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with real dishes and enjoying the meal with whoever happens to be there. Meal times are commonly at specific times and should be an expected routine. This helps keep order and security in the home.

Dine alone, at times, if you must, but please use real plates.

 
Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -


A Precious Hymn - Be thou My Vision.

Mother doesn't change -  Sitting Alone at the Kitchen Table.

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If I Visit You at The Dinner Hour

LOC: Saying grace at Thanksgiving dinner in the home of Earle Landis, 1942, PA.

 

I remember visiting my Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob (a reverend) in Alabama. We would spend several days with them. Early each evening, my Aunt would be cooking in the kitchen. Uncle Bob sat in the recliner and watched a little television. The house was quiet and happy. Everyone visited or played while we waited to be called to the table for prayer, and our supper.

My parents had a similar routine. Dad would be in the living room watching the news or some other program. We children would be there with him, or in our rooms finishing up homework. We could hear Mother in the kitchen cooking. It was comforting knowing she was in there, preparing our food. She always set the table with fresh vegetables in serving bowls, and had little plates of bread. We were happy when she called us to the table.

Today, whenever I see the sun starting to set, I am able to relax. All tensions and troubles seem to fade. It's like I can shut the doors and shut out the world, because it is almost the dinner hour. It is time for our daily rest from trouble and turmoil. So I turn on the lamp, and listen to the quiet sound of gospel music from my kitchen radio. I put on my apron and start preparing food. And while I cook, I am at peace.

 I hear the sound of the family gathered throughout this large old house, and they are laughing and talking. Every so often someone will come to the kitchen and ask, "How much longer 'til supper is ready?" And it gives me a great sense of pride, because I am making them a delicious dinner and it makes them happy.

The dinner hour is like a break from hard labor. It is a special time for families. It is familiar and secure and special. Nothing else seems to matter. It is the comfort of home and family.

And today, I wonder. . . If I visited your house tonight, at the dinner hour, what would it be like?

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Make it look like The Maid was Here.

To the Dedicated Housewife - What Time Does Your Shift Start?

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For happiness and cheer in the kitchen:

Mrs. White's old fashioned cookbook focuses on serving meals and setting the table in a humble home.

"Serving in the Kitchen: Cookbook with Recipes, Advice, and Encouragement for the Christian Home"

152 pages, paperback

 

 

 

Suppertime in a Rural Home

"Home For the Holidays" by Todd Williams

 

It is getting dark. The day is almost over. Mama is wearing her apron and cooking in the kitchen. She's smiling and happy and humming a tune, while she leans over the stove.

The children come in from their play. They are cold and excited and talking about all the snowmen they created. Such sweet smiles on their faces! Their eyes light up when they enter the warm house. They put away their coats and settle down to wait for supper.

Daddy walks in after a hard day at work. He is tired. But all his troubles seem to melt away when he enters the inviting rural home.

Some of the children help Mama set the table. They lay out plates and silverware, cups and napkins. Another child comes over to pour drinks. The table looks inviting.

Mama brings out platters of food. She serves fresh warm bread, butter, stew and salad. The children are hungry and excited to enjoy a nice meal with the family.

They sit around the table. Dad says the prayer. Everyone is thankful and smiling. If you are walking by, on that cold winter night, and you happen to see them through the window, you will see laughter and smiles. You will see a happy family eating their supper and full of love and gratefulness.

Mama cleans up while the children run off to play. They are getting their baths and will soon hear a bedtime story. Mama is humming while she washes dishes and polishes the table. Life inside that home is peaceful and joyous. The outside cares and troubles fade away, when it's suppertime in the old rural house.

Blessings,
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

An Encouraging look at - "Poverty in the 1800's" about the Mother of D.L. Moody.

For the love of taking care of grandchildren - "I Hear Angels Crying."

Sweet Faith for Mothers - "All of God's Children Have Shoes."

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Mrs. White's special book for Homemakers - 

"Mother's Book of Home Economics."

312 pages, paperback.

How the Old Time Mothers Survived Poverty

Library of Congress:  Family cans their own food, Osage Farms, Missouri, 1939.

There are so many families struggling right now. There is never enough food for even the basics of life. Housewives need encouragement, inspiration and ideas in order to survive on very little.

During the War in the 1940's, Britain's government provided citizens with books to help them obtain skills to manage on very little. These were called: "Wartime cookery" and "Make do and Mend." I understand some of these have been recently re-published.

The other day, I cut out material to make two aprons. While I was ironing all the material I was thinking about the depression-era mothers. They would take scraps of fabric and piece them together for quilts. Or they would make rag-rugs. These women were productive, hardworking and creative. They could take the smallest amount of leftovers, from supper, and come up with something amazing the next day.

With knowledge, ideas and inspiration, these women survived poverty. Currently, in America, we are told, by the government, that a family of 5, earning less than $25,790 is living in poverty (in 2009). It does not take much to be poor in this current age. Housing costs are high, utility bills are outrageous and food costs are rising. Here are some things the Old time mothers did:

1. Water down the milk.

2. If children were allowed to have a soda, they had to share it.

3. If, during a holiday, the family had soda, they would fill the cups with ice and add a little water before pouring the soda. The children never knew what "real" or "straight" soda tasted like until they were grown.

4. Cut up one apple or orange and divide between everyone in the family. Serve on their lunch or supper plate.

5. Sew and mend rips in the clothes. (Are we doing this today?)

6. Make a big pot of soup, then do the housework and laundry. The soup cooks all day - it is an inexpensive meal and goes far. Just serve it with muffins or biscuits.

7. Bake something every other day - muffins, bread, biscuits. Leave this out, wrapped up, on the table or counter. It will help fill everyone up and keep them from snacking on junk or feeling hungry (deprived).

8. When there is nothing to drink, Mother would make tea. Those tea bags were re-used all day long to fill cup after cup. Mother served tea on tea plates and kept the tea bags on those little plates for re-use later in the day.

9. Mother saved jars (we can save spaghetti-sauce jars today) and kept them clean, storing them in the cabinet. When the family would go out, she would fill that jar with cold water so everyone would have something to drink.

As I was doing some hand-sewing yesterday, I thought how important it was to keep busy. I prayed as I sewed. I was keeping busy with the home arts and this soothed my soul. If we mothers of today, could just work hard around our homes, and pray for courage, we could make it on very little. We would also start believing more in miracles and trust God so much more than we do now. So many blessings come to the diligent, brave housewives. May we all be found worthy.

Blessings,
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

The beautiful testimony of the Mother of D.L. Moody - Poverty in the 1800's.

Making the best of what is available to cheer the family along - Homemade Birthday Dinner. 

Thrifty Wisdom from the Old Days - To Earn and Not to Spend.

 

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Find cleaning inspiration and encouragement in Mrs. White's book, "Gracious House Keeping."

"Gracious House Keeping: Advice, Encouragement, and Cleaning Help for the Christian Housewife."

Complete with Encouragement and Work Charts to cheer you along in your homemaking!

115 pages, paperback.